3-035-451 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Stoning of Saint Stephen, 1632. Large Roman ruins loom in the background, against which excited figures engage in a brutal murder. In the shadowy right foreground, Saint Stephen kneels in prayer; behind him a shirtless man takes aim with a large rock. All around, people scurry to pick up rocks to hurl at the defenseless saint. A small boy helps out by bringing stones to the adults. Paul, before his conversion to Christianity, assisted at Stephen's stoning by guarding the clothes of the executioners.